Sienna Rose has been the subject of this debate for about a year now. But it all got reignited after the Golden Globes awards ceremony when Selena Gomez posted an Instagram carousel from the event, using Rose’s “Where Your Warmth Begins.” (The song has since been removed from Gomez’s post.) Since then, folks on the internet have turned their attention on the musician with a critical eye.

Sienna Rose’s Spotify profile was the greatest point of speculation. For starters, Rose’s biography describes her as “an anonymous neo-soul singer whose music blends the elegance of classic soul with vulnerability of modern R&B.” The operative word here being “anonymous,” a strange move for an artist in the 21st century when visibility feeds into fame. Despite Sienna Rose’s anonymity, the singer has 2.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. On top of that, she’s also managed to get three songs (“Into the Blue,” “Safe With You,” and “Where Your Warmth Begins”) on Spotify’s Viral 50 – USA playlist.

Then there’s the music of it all. Sienna Rose’s AI-generated music seems to be inspired by real artists like Olivia Dean and Alicia Keys with lush vocals and delicate pianos. But some listeners have noted the “generic” sound of the music. One X user posted about their listening experience: “Started listening to Olivia Dean (fantastic). Within two days Spotify recommended Sienna Rose, who has a similar, but more generic sound. Took me a few songs to realize she’s AI. Is this how Spotify plans to maintain leverage over artists? Cloning sound and stealing listeners?”

Last year, Glenn McDonald, a former “data alchemist” at Spotify, told Rolling Stone that the prominence of AI artists is emblematic of a move “away from understandable algorithms with strong grounding in actual human listening and communities” and toward AI-driven systems that “can pick songs for recommendations based on characteristics of their audio.”

In September, Spotify announced that AI-generated “bands” and “artists” are allowed on the platform, but would be encouraged to label their projects properly. “We’re not here to punish artists for using AI authentically and responsibly,” said Charlie Hellman, Spotify’s VP global head of music product in a statement announcing the streaming giant’s AI guidelines. “We hope that artists’ use of AI production tools will enable them to be more creative than ever.” Despite these guidelines, artists like Sienna Rose and the infamous the Velvet Sundown are proof that AI musicians are running rampant on the platform.

https://archive.is/LYsQb